Edge of Tomorrow Panel [Comic-Con 2013]

One of the latest additions to the Comic-Con schedule was Doug Liman’s retitled film Edge of Tomorrow. The sci-fi film is one of the furthest away films featured at Comic-Con, but it will release presumably before next year’s Con. For us, it was a good opportunity to get the first look at the film. This included a trailer and a visit from Tom Cruise himself! The rest of the panel included director Doug Limon, producers Ewrin Stoff and Chris McQuarrie, as well as co-star Emily Blunt. Eventually Bill Paxton even came up from the audience to participate in the panel.

Comic-Con was buzzing with excitement when Cruise made it on stage. Moderator Chris Hardwick was even more excited as the two bonded by singing back-and-forth. Eventually they did get to footage and it looked like a typical sci-fi film.

However, what the footage didn’t reveal (or at least I didn’t catch it) was that Emily Blunt’s character (named Rita) loses her memory at the start of each new day. That puts a hitch in her relationship with Cage (Cruise).

What are they doing in the movie though? They appear to be super-soldiers in robotic suits (which they revealed were about 70 pounds) fighting an alien invasion. Another kicker is that Cage is stuck in a timeloop and is forced to revert back to the same morning over and over again.

Blockbusters, which Cruise has owned his entire career, are ripe with alien, robot, and sci-fi movies, so it may sound like this isn’t exactly the most original film. However, the panel promised it would be unlike other stories we’ve seen. Cruise himself mentioned that he wakes up every morning wondering how he can please us, so hopefully this is the case come next June.

Edge of Tomorrow is still a work in progress. Tom Cruise’s first Comic-Con appearance was a highlight of the panel, and it is crazy to realize he was the fourth or fifth biggest story coming out of Hall H Saturday.

Jordan, who currently resides in Seattle, WA, has slowly become a film fanatic over the past couple of years. He attributes his love for film to the smash hit THE DARK KNIGHT which has created an (un)healthy obsession with both Christopher Nolan and the Batman franchise. Although he appreciates all genres of film, his favorite movies are typically psychological thrillers, with an emphasis on non-traditional narratives.